MAPP Leadership Program 2026-2027

Session 01

Rethinking Leadership : In an era of complexity

08.09.2026

We officially kicked off the MAPP Leadership Program 2026-27 with our first session, bringing together around 40 participants from across the multicultural property and built environment community. The session, led by Simi Rayat, challenged us to look beyond traditional ideas of leadership and explore what it means to lead in environments that are increasingly complex, diverse and multicultural.

Together, we explored:
- The impact of our cultural values in our leadership styles
- The difference between being a manager and a leader
- The importance of trust, empathy and meaningful feedback
- Being authentic while adapting our leadership style to different situations
- Building self-awareness and finding our own leadership style

The interactive activities and conversations created plenty of opportunities to pause, reflect and challenge our own assumptions about leadership.

The session was followed by an engaging leadership panel with executive leaders Niall Cunningham and Ursula Dyer Lepporoli, who shared valuable perspectives and real-world experiences of leading through complexity.

One of the key messages from the day was simple yet powerful:
Leadership starts with understanding ourselves and the people we lead. From asking “How are you feeling?” to making space for reflection, feedback and end-of-day journaling... effective leadership is as much about self-awareness, connection and empathy as it is about strategy and delivery.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focused Fire, IZZA Group, TTW, Slattery, MBM Development Victoria and Hansen Partnership. A special thank you to our venue sponsor: Stantec.

Our partners 

Initiative Partners 

Foundation Partners 

Thank you to our sponsors.